Better Call Saul - Season Five Discussion

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Jerry Horne, Sep 10, 2019.

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  1. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    The idea that Howard wanted the "Charlie Hustle" version of Jimmy McGill working at his firm makes some sense. The idea that Howard wants just-off-suspension Saul Goodman with the garish clothes, questionable methods and clunker car working at his firm? Far fetched, unless there is an ulterior motive (beyond guilt) to which we are not privy.
     
  2. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    I'm beginning to wonder if Howard survives into the BB timeline. Does either Fring (or some other cartel member) take him out to keep Jimmy/Saul in their fold, assuming Howard attempts to get Jimmy/Saul disbarred, or even arrested?
     
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  3. Brian_Svoboda

    Brian_Svoboda Senior Member

    Location:
    Virginia
    This is certainly true. But Jimmy's sheer malevolence, tenacity and refusal to observe any limits would have to give Howard serious pause. Filing a bar complaint against Jimmy would be like declaring war on a belligerent with a stockpile of mustard gas, who never signed the Geneva Convention and refused to observe its terms.
     
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  4. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    I think we've probably seen the last of Howard. Too bad, I always thought he was underused.

    So far, there's been way too much Mesa Verde for me.

    And if you are going to keep bringing up Gus' Chilean past, you're going to have to show it at some point. I mean we've been teased about it now for years.

    And that Jimmy/Saul split mirror shot was so obvious and overdone it hurt to watch it.
     
  5. Gems-A-Bems

    Gems-A-Bems Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Duke City
    I’m not sure the one who isn’t “a friend of the cartel” is the one who has the power.
     
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  6. Thomas D

    Thomas D Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bradenton, FL
    Howard isn't aware of cartel ties, so his concern would be Jimmy's "usual" (or unusual, LOL) sort of tactics. It all depends how angry Howard is and if he even wants to destroy Jimmy now. If he's angry enough Howard would need to be smart. He has weight at the Bar Association. Talk to them first. Say he's concerned for his safety if he goes forward. Hire a PI to follow Jimmy. Have the bar work with police and DA to legally put a tracking device on Jimmy's car. Beef up security at his home. There are options. He could do it and succeed and possibly get proof of Jimmy doing an actual crime in the process. Like I said. It all depends on how angry and determined he is. Something unusual happens to Howard? - a bunch of people are on notice about Jimmy. But Howard might not be inclined to hurt Jimmy now anyway. So, who knows. As someone else said, Howard might not even be in the show any more.

    Problem is, the show seems to be dumbing down all the "smart" people. Howard might act stupid here. Schweikart had shown a glimmer of toughness and sharpness, but they dumbed him down to make him a patsy of Kim. Same with Paige.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2020
  7. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    isn't she a partner?
     
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  8. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I can't recall whether she is a junior partner or not. Regardless, her name certainly isn't on the sign outside. Does Rich really stand by and let her play her spontaneous hand?
     
  9. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    unless you're angling at something else that you're not spelling out, the answer is obviously yes. in the show it seems clear she's part of that firm for a reason: she's a very talented lawyer.
     
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  10. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I'm spelling it out as plain as day. If I am a senior partner in a firm and our relationship with the client who "keeps the lights on" is hanging by a thread, I don't let a junior partner spontaneously make a power play without even consulting me. Not in a million years.
     
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  11. chili555

    chili555 Forum Resident

    I assumed that Howard wanted two things; first, to correct a wrong that happened early in the series, that Jimmy's own brother black-balled him at HHM when Howard would have been agreeable to hiring him as an associate.

    Second, that sometimes law firms need "fixers," that is, people who can extract clients from difficult circumstances by unusual, questionable but barely legal methods. Think of Huell and the church in Louisiana. Was he guilty? Yes. Did Jimmy/Saul get him off scott-free entirely legally? YES!
     
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  12. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    I think Rich is under a spell of admiration and perhaps envy of Kim's ballsiness and skill at maneuvering situations in her direction. He decided just to let it play out. That's my take.
     
  13. When Kevin said that, I though Kim looked pissed! A few times we've seen people try to knock Jimmy to Kim's face: that prosecutor in the Babineaux case, Chuck, and then Howard, and Kim tore them a new one.

    My wife commented that Kim was boiling inside when Kevin said that. We got that stone face from Kim, with red hot eyes. If it hadn't been for Rich standing there, and Kim needing the income, she would have ripped 'ol Kevin.

    Nice pickup and mention of the kid that Jimmy gave the speech too. :)

    Concerning Kim's devotion to Jimmy, it reminds me of the story that Mike told Walter White, way back in Season 3 of BB, I believe. Mike gave him the story when he was working as a cop in Philly, about a man who kept beating his wife. Mike would respond to the domestic violence call time and again. The wife would never leave him. Therefore, Mike takes the wife beater out and kicks his ass, almost to the point of death. Mike considered killing the guy, but he didn't. The next thing you know, the wife beater beats his wife to death.
     
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  14. How did Jimmy and Kim get Huell off legally?

    Something like that, right? Rich doesn't quite know how to handle Kim. Plus, it happened so fast in the hallway. Oh, I understand; you wouldn't want any kind of partner running in like that. For all we know, though, Kim and Rich could have had a conversation about it outside the door before knocking. They wouldn't show that part because they want the viewer to see Kim lay out her plan in front of Mesa Verde, not in front of Rich and show the same plan twice.

    But about "keeping the lights on," that's what you tell any client who deserves to know their worth to your firm. That doesn't mean that Mesa Verde is actually keeping S&C afloat. They didn't even have a banking branch before Kim arrived and they were doing fine. I think they said that to make the client feel good - valued.
     
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  15. Chrome_Head

    Chrome_Head Planetary Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA.
    Yep, "no half measures". Memorable scene.
     
  16. tdcrjeff

    tdcrjeff Senior Member

    Location:
    Hermosa Beach, CA
    It wasn't a bad theory at the time it was written (after episode 5), but in episode 6 Kevin agreed to settle with Jimmy's demands including compensation for Olivia Bitsui for the logo photo so there doesn't seem to be any reason for Mesa Verde to re-brand going forward into BB.
     
  17. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Rich used the "keeping the lights on" comment to Kim, not the client.
     
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  18. BEAThoven

    BEAThoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I would wager Howard lets it go.

    Think about it: This is the guy who just calmly asked Jimmy -- the guy he knows just threw two bowling balls on his car and sent two prostitutes to one of his business meetings -- if, "Hey, have you decided to take the job that I offered you?"

    If Howard approached Jimmy at that point without throwing a fit, I don't think Jimmy's latest tirade would throw him into "revenge" mode.
     
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  19. Thank you. I don't remember who said it. That seems even more kooky for Rich to say something like that, unless he's just really enjoying that extra bankroll, or behind the scenes the firm has taken a turn for the worst. I didn't get that impression with the ski trip that Rich had planned for the firm.
     
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  20. EddieMann

    EddieMann I used to be a king...

    Location:
    Geneva, IL. USA.
    For what its worth, IMDB shows Howard appearing in the next episode according to the cast list.
     
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  21. Thomas D

    Thomas D Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bradenton, FL
    It's open enough the writers could go different ways, with logical consistency. Maybe Howard was trying to push Jimmy's buttons. (After all, would he be sincere about renewing the offer when he knew Jimmy had done the bowling ball stunt and the other thing?) It could have been designed just to set off Jimmy. And, if so, it worked!
     
  22. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I think the imdb rule is if you get an on screen credit you "appear", even if you don't appear. Michael Mando and Patrick Fabian are listed as appearing in all 50 episodes.
     
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  23. Brian_Svoboda

    Brian_Svoboda Senior Member

    Location:
    Virginia
    Just from the tempo of activity that we've seen on the show, the Mesa Verde representation is a big, honking deal for a firm like Schweikart. The show presents Mesa Verde as an insatiable client, like Jabba the Hutt at the Old Country Buffet.

    An interesting undercurrent of the past few weeks has been the sense that Rich badly wants the firm to keep the client and is prepared to curtail Kim's role if necessary to do so. His presence at the last two meetings with Kevin seemed directed toward that end. So, too, was Rich's assurance to Kim that he would honor their deal if she chose to step back from the client -- although, as they both surely knew, that only means so much. I would guess (and maybe an earlier episode acutally spelled out; I just can't recall) that the firm guaranteed Kim base compensation and bonuses for a fixed period of time, after which all bets are off.

    A sharper take in that same direction is that Rich would like to be the "relationship" partner for Mesa Verde, and is angling for that role. That would have been my take two weeks ago; since then, the writers have given Rich some dialogue that put him in a more generous light.
     
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  24. proedros

    proedros Forum Resident

    Location:
    Athens , Greece
    First 4 episodes of S5 , this thing is a drag

    Not sure why the magic is gone , but this feels like a tired,unimaginative, bloated rehash of BCS


    Bummer , as i had big expectations from this season.

    Oh well , at least there won't be any more 'this is better than BB' bs around
     
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  25. BEAThoven

    BEAThoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Of course, there is no accounting for taste, but I am very much enjoying this season and still prefer BCS to BB. I like the style, nuance, and pacing so much more in BCS.

    For sure, BB was an incredible show, but there were moments when I didn't like Cranston and Paul's acting.

    For example, once Cranston entered the "I am Heisenberg!" / "Say my name!" / "You're damn right!" phase, I felt it became a bit cartoon-ish.

    Yes, of course, opinions will differ here... BCS just fits my taste a bit more.
     
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